


Time & Tide Volume Two

by rae_marie



Series: Echoes In the Universe [7]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Gen, What happened???, aaaghhh i hate to do this again, also character trauma, blair kenneth verse, but warnings should be here for horror and violence, i didn't start out this series intending to fill it with angst, tw horror, tw ptsd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-06 19:42:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17945915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rae_marie/pseuds/rae_marie
Summary: The quest to stop the Alari is put on pause when a new friend comes along, looking for a new home.





	1. Episode One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again!  
> Quick reminder to read the warnings in the tags; also I know this ends on a really bittersweet note, but trust me; Blair's gonna be okay.  
> Enjoy the story!  
> (Also if you can guess who 'the founders' are, then kudos to you; I won't spoil it for you, but I hope you have fun guessing :D)

The door shut behind them, and the time rotors started whirring. 

‘No - no -  _ no! _ ’ The Master ran over to the console; frantically flipping switches and pulling levers, but it was no use; the rotors rose and fell; rose and fell….

….and then finally stopped. Blair scurried over.

‘What happened?’

‘I am not certain, though I am assuming the Alari did not wish for us to be on their planet and have somehow had us forcibly removed. Whatever it was, the TARDIS did not like it.’

Blair flicked the scanner on and studied it worriedly. ‘It looks….really stark out there.’ The Master looked over her shoulder and frowned.

‘It does….hmm.’ He zoomed in on the view, and had just opened his mouth to comment, when there was a pounding on the door.

‘ _ LET ME IN! I DON’T CARE WHO YOU ARE JUST PLEASE LET ME IN!!! _ ’

Blair and the Master looked at each other, then back at the door. The Master switched the view on the scanner; a tall, humanoid alien with short, unruly black hair was hammering frantically at the door.

‘ _ PLEASE!!! THEY’RE GOING TO FOLLOW ME!!! _ ’

Wordlessly, the Master strode over to the door, and very slowly opened it, standing in such a way as to block any entrance.

‘Please let me in - they’ll find me and I don’t want to get recaptured!’

‘Who is chasing you?’ To a stranger, the Master’s stance in the doorway probably would’ve seemed very casual, but Blair knew he was ready to spring into action at any moment.

‘There’s no time to explain; just - ‘

‘Of  _ course _ ,’ the Master said, and Blair shivered; she knew that tone.

The Master stepped out of the way and shut and locked the door. The stranger turned, her eyes flashing purple.

'Who are you running from, praytell?' the Master asked, and she looked worried, and a little pained.

'It's....it's....'

'Look at me.'

_ Oh, no; you're not going to do that, are you....? _ Blair groaned internally, not caring if the Master heard her or not. The alien looked at him, eyes going instantly wide.

'There,' the Master said. 'Now go sit on the settee over there in case you fall asleep.'

'Is this really necessary?!' Blair whispered, and the Master nodded. She sighed as the stranger sat down, not breaking the Master's gaze.

'Now. I want you to relax; no one is going to hurt you. I want you to tell me who you are, and what you are doing here. Ignore any voices in your mind that tell you not to; they are not important. You will obey  _ me _ .'

'I....' the stranger hesitated for a moment, then slumped a little.

'I am Lisar. I'm a Whifferdill, twenty-one years old.'

'Very good, Lisar. Now what are you doing here? Who were you running from?'

'The Cybermen. They were trying to convert me.'

The Master’s eyebrows shot up, and Blair saw him tense.

‘I see,’ he said. He seemed to focus for a moment, then shook his head. ‘Miss Lisar, do you happen to know what planet this is?’

‘Yes. It is the sister world of the planet called “Home”.’

Blair gasped. ‘Le’s world? What are Cybermen - would they hurt her?’

‘I am very much afraid they would,’ the Master said quietly, never taking his eyes off of Lisar’s. ‘Now, Miss Lisar, I want you to focus on my gaze for a moment - that’s it - and…. _ awake _ .’

The Master clicked his fingers, and Lisar gasped and blinked. 

‘Wha - did you  _ hypnotise _ me!?’ she growled.

‘Indeed; and you will find it prudent to keep in mind that I have left several triggers in your mind in case of an…. _ emergency _ .’

Blair’s jaw dropped.

‘Master!? What were you  _ thinking!? _ ’ she whispered. The Master looked at her for a moment, then back at Lisar, who was sitting on the settee, fuming. He clicked his fingers.

‘ _ Sleep _ .’

She fell back with a sigh.

‘ _ Master! _ ’

He looked back at her. ‘Blair, we must talk about this, and I also must collect a device from the laboratory; would you mind talking while walking?’

‘That sounds good, but you  _ have _ to explain what’s going on.’

‘I shall. Come along, then.’

*****

‘The Cybermen are a type of organic-cybernetic hybrid,’ the Master said. ‘They are all but robots, however they have an organic brain inside; basically stolen from other species; they conquer those other species and force them to be converted into Cybermen and join their hivemind.’

‘That’s  _ horrible! _ ’ Blair shuddered, then stiffened. ‘They’re not gonna do that to Le, are they?’

‘Not if I can help it; that is why I needed to retrieve the equipment; I have a plan.’

‘Good.’ Blair paused. ‘But….why did you hypnotise Lisar? And why haven’t you let her fully out of it?’

‘The Cybermen are quite adept at brainwashing their prisoners; I needed to make certain that if our Whifferdill visitor  _ has  _ been brainwashed, she could not use it against  _ us _ in any way.’ Blair furrowed her brow.

‘These robot people can mess with people’s heads? How’re we gonna avoid that while stopping them?’

‘They would not be able to get close enough to do that to us, Blair; do not fret.’ He put an arm around her. ‘They would not have the cleverness necessary to capture me, and I certainly will not let them capture you. You must stay close to me at all times if you wish to help stop the Cybermen; do you understand?’

Blair nodded. ‘Thank you,’ she said. The Master smiled.

 

‘There is no need to thank me, my dear.’ 

After a moment, they arrived at the lab door and the Master took the key out of his pocket and unlocked it, and they went in. 

*****

The Master searched for a while through his neatly organised cabinets, until he finally took out a device that looked a bit like a mobile phone. He took it over to the table and took out a few tools, and started fiddling with the device.

‘What are you doing?’ Blair asked.

‘I am adjusting it; it is an omniscanner, and will prove to be of great use in this mission.’

‘I hope you’re not “adjusting” it into a death-ray….’ she said. The Master smirked.

‘Not in the conventional sense; no. I  _ am _ , however, adjusting it into something that will be able to completely destroy the Cybermen’s systems.’

‘Oh, okay.’ Blair leaned over a little. The table was meticulously organised, but there were several random things lying about; a jar of pencils; a stack of notebooks; a pair of round spectacles….

She stopped and squinted at them; they were awfully familiar, but she couldn’t quite place  _ why _ .

‘ _ There _ ,’ the Master said, and straightened. ‘It is complete.’ He looked at Blair frankly. ‘Do you wish to stay in the TARDIS on this mission? I should reiterate that it is risky, although as I said, I will protect you at all costs.’ 

Blair shook her head. ‘You know me, Master; I wanna go.’

He nodded. ‘Very well. Let us return to our guest and see if she can guide us in any way.’ Picking up the omniscanner, he headed for the door, and Blair followed close behind, eager to stop these new monsters.

*****

As soon as they stepped foot in the Console Room, the Master clicked his fingers. 

‘ _ Awake _ .’

Lisar started and shot to her feet.

‘Who are you!?’ she demanded. ‘What right do you have to go around controlling my mind!?’ She trembled, and seemed ready to do something, but the Master glared at her, and she stopped and took a step back.

‘I suspect you aren’t exactly  _ stable _ at present, Miss Lisar, and as such, I will not allow you to shift whenever you like.’ Lisar scowled, and Blair wondered what in the galaxy he meant.

‘Come along; I am not going to leave you alone in my TARDIS; hypnosis or no hypnosis,’ he said, and although Lisar balked at first, she grudgingly followed them as they went outside.

*****

The Master shook his head when he saw the sign above the door.

“ _ ‘Entrance _ .” Do you think, perhaps, they could’ve been a little more subtle?’ he said.

‘Are you gonna go in?’ Miss Lisar asked, and he stiffened. His suspicions  _ had _ to be true; he simply  _ knew  _ it.

‘We  _ all _ are….’ he said slowly, and took Blair’s hand. He could feel her questioning concern nudging at his mind, and he quickly thought back to her,  _ All will be well; do not fret. _

With his free hand, he pushed on the door, and it swung open with an ominous creak.

‘Hmm.’ He did not like how easy that was. Feeling Blair tremble a little, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and stepped forward.

All was quiet inside.

The Master took out the omniscanner and scanned the corridor; unlike the TCE, it was completely silent, and therefore would attract no attention. And a microsecond before he pointed it in the direction that sent its screen into a wild alert mode, Miss Lisar hissed,

‘That way! I think that’s the correct direction!’

The Master and Blair looked at her, and then at each other. He wondered if he should risk letting her lead the way; if his suspicions were correct, he was concerned what the consequences could be. But she was already running lightly down the corridor, and he knew they had to follow.

‘Blair, be completely on your guard at all times, and do not leave my side,’ he whispered, and Blair nodded.

Swiftly and silently they ran down the corridor after her.

*****

Blair didn’t know at  _ all _ what to make of Lisar; she wanted to think she was trustworthy, but it seemed obvious that she wasn’t. The Master certainly didn’t trust her, and that was usually a pretty good indicator; after all, he could read people like no one else.

They all stopped outside a large stone door, which looked oddly simple for a bunch of high-tech robots. The Master frowned and looked up at it.

‘Do you know why there are no logic puzzle locks, Miss Lisar?’ he asked. ‘That seems highly irregular for a Cyberman building.’

_ So I was right _ …. Blair thought.

‘I….don’t know,’ Lisar said. ‘Why don’t you open it and see if you can find a reason inside?’

They both turned abruptly and stared at her.

_ Can she be any more obvious that this is a trap? _ Blair frowned.  _ What  _ is _ wrong with her? _

‘I  _ shall _ open it, Miss Lisar, but not for the reasons you think.’ The Master gently corralled Blair behind himself, and pushed.

The door groaned as it slid up, and Blair, carefully looking around the Master, gasped.

Standing inside was the tallest robot she had ever seen.

Blair whimpered and quickly ducked back behind the Master; she felt his hand tighten on hers.

‘The Cyberleader, I presume,’ the Master said.

‘I….am the Cy….berleader…..yes.’

‘Ah! Then you will be able to tell me just what you have done to the Whifferdill you captured.’

Blair heard a thud, and threw a glance over her shoulder; Lisar had slumped to the floor, and was looking quite ill. 

‘The….Whifferdill is….of no more impor….tance,’ the Cyberleader replied. Blair hated its grating, metallic voice; it sounded like nothing at all kind; it was cold and artificial, and frightening.

‘But what have you done to her?’ the Master persisted; voice calm and a little menacing. 

‘We….put it to better use….than con….version it….was to lead….all of you….to us as you a….re intelligent and we….want you….to be con….verted.’ 

Blair shrunk back more. 

‘ _ Never _ ,’ the Master growled.

‘I….won’t let you do it….to them….’

Blair looked over her shoulder and saw Lisar struggling to push herself up; she was pale and wide-eyed, but had a determined gleam in her dark purple eyes. Without even looking at her, the Master gave a thin, satisfied smile.

‘Miss Lisar,’ he said, ‘you can come to yourself now.’

Lisar gritted her teeth and, to Blair’s utter disbelief, leapt up, and vanished. She saw something flash through the air and dared to look around the Master again; it was an enormous black hawk with glowing violet eyes, and it dove directly at the Cyberleader’s head.

The Cyberleader staggered, then toppled backwards with a crash.

‘ _ Stay there, Blair! _ ’ the Master cried, and letting go of her hand, he leapt forward and shoved the omniscanner up against the Cyberleader’s giant headlamp (or at least, that’s what it looked like to Blair). He pressed a button, and the Cyberleader made a strange groaning sound, then stiffened, not seeming to be able to move. After a few seconds, the Master pressed the button again, and stood back.

‘What you think of as your greatest achievement will now be your  _ downfall _ , Cyberleader, for although you may be a  _ leader _ , I am  _ the Master! _ ’ He drew his TCE and fired it through the hole where one of the robot’s eyes should have been, and then all went still. Blair could practically feel the stillness in the air. The hawk launched itself off of the Cyberleader's head, and landed next to Blair.

'H....hello....' she said. The hawk sort of....rippled, and then all of a sudden it morphed into Lisar.

Blair yelped.

'Oh, it's good to be myself again!' Lisar gasped.

'But - you - you were a - ' Blair's mind spun.

'She is a Whifferdill, Blair, and Whifferdills are legendary shapeshifters. I imagine the Cybermen did not know how to convert her, so they brainwashed her instead, and sent her after us.' Blair looked at the Cyberleader.

'Is it....dangerous still....?' she asked.

'No. I disabled it, after using its link to the hivemind to send a computer virus through to the entire nest. The entire complex will be harmless in about a microspan.'

Blair glanced back at Lisar, then back at the Master, who she was also looking at.

'Thank you for breaking the conditioning, Time Lord,' Lisar said. 'I tried to use it against itself to warn you, but it was too strong; the most I could do was try to make it seem obvious that it was a trap.'

The Master nodded. 'It is no trouble; I suspected from the start that you were not in control of your actions, and it was relatively simple to put the correct triggers in place, in case that theory proved correct.'

'I'm so sorry I led you both into the trap,' she said, but the Master waved a hand.

'It served our purpose rather well,' he said.

Blair stared at Lisar. Who in the world  _ was _ this shapeshifting, strong-willed alien that randomly barreled her way into their TARDIS?

'Do you wish to be dropped off on your home planet?' the Master asked, but Lisar shook her head.

'No....I and home don't really get along.'

'You can't stay here,' Blair managed.

'If you do not object, you could come with us in the TARDIS, and we could find somewhere safe for you to go. Is that what you desire?'

Lisar thought for a moment, and Blair held her breath. She wanted to get to know her better; she was the strangest person she'd ever met, yet somehow she suspected they'd be friends forever.

'Yes,' Lisar said finally. 'That sounds grand.'

Blair grinned.

'Then let us return to the TARDIS,' the Master said. 'It should be safe, now.'

*****

The three of them left the corridor in front of the room, but not before the Master took one last glance back towards the Cyberleader. He hoped that he had extracted the correct information from its encyclopedic hivemind; he needed to know more about the Alari and their temporal extraction methods.

The opportunity was too perfect to ignore.


	2. Episode Two

'I'm gonna go sleep,' Blair said, as soon as the TARDIS had entered the Vortex. The Master nodded.

'Have a good rest, Blair.'

'Thanks. And Lisar' - she turned and grinned at her - 'it's so nice to meet you.'

Lisar smiled a small smile. 'Thanks.' She had a quiet voice, but she didn’t seem shy, Blair noticed.

Blair turned and went to her room. She got into bed, and the blankets were beautifully warm as usual - Blair suspected the TARDIS kept them that way for her - and she fell asleep quickly.

*****

' _ Blair....? _ '

The voice was soft and beautiful and dignified, and Blair wondered where it was coming from.

'Blair, can you hear me, my dear?'

'Who's there?' Blair called. She tensed a little; things didn't look right, and she started to wonder if she was dreaming, and if this was gonna be another nightmare.

_ You have control over this _ , she thought, and shook her head.

'Where are you?  _ Who _ are you?' she called again. She heard quiet footsteps, and a tall woman in a glittering dark brown dress appeared beside her, her black ringlets blowing in a breeze Blair couldn't feel. The woman smiled at her and sat down - at least that's what Blair thought; when she looked down, she realised they were floating in a glowing, multicoloured sky. Her heart started pounding.

The woman leapt up and took her hand.

'Blair, you are safe,' she said. ‘This  _ is _ a dream, although where we are  _ does _ resemble the Time Vortex.'

'O....kay....' Her voice was shaky. She looked up at the woman's sparkling, dark eyes. 'Who are you?'

'I am Aiva,' she said, 'but you know me better as the TARDIS.'

Blair's eyes went wide.

Aiva laughed softly. 'I'm in your dream because I wanted to talk to you,' she said.

Blair couldn't form words.

'Sit down, Blair, and we'll talk.' Blair nodded, and carefully sat; relieved to see that she didn't plummet through all of spacetime.

'You're....the TARDIS....?' she breathed. Aiva nodded.

'I am. This is just how I look in both our minds....it's complicated.' She smiled again, a little more quizzically. 'Do you....do you enjoy travelling through eternity, Blair?'

'Oh, do I enjoy it!? Do I  _ ever! _ ' Laughing, Blair reached out and wrapped her arms around the TARDIS. 'I wouldn't trade it for anything! Thanks for taking us everywhere!' She choked out the last few words, and this time, she didn't care that she was crying a little. The TARDIS hugged her back.

'You are welcome, Blair; if I did not travel, I would not feel myself, and it's always lovely to bring friends along as well.'

They let each other go, and Blair sat back again, smiling happily.

'What was it you wanted to talk about?' she asked.

Aiva's face showed a flicker of worry just then, but it quickly disappeared.

'Oh....I wanted to ask you if you would do something for me,' she said.

'Of course! What is it?'

'Well....' she looked away, curling a ringlet around one long finger. 'I've....seen something, Blair....in yours and the Master's future, I mean....and I was wondering if you could remember to send a message of warning, when you know the time is right.'

'Okay.' Blair nodded. 'What's the message?'

'You have to come up with it, I'm afraid, but when it's the right time, send it to code AV45. Can you remember that?'

'AV45 - got it.'

Aiva smiled. 'Thank you ever so much.' She reached out and took Blair's hand. 'I'm using too much energy doing this - I have to go, but first, would you like to fly?'

Blair gasped and stared, then nodded vigorously. She couldn't believe this.

She clasped Aiva's hand tighter, and clung for dear life as she leapt up and dove headfirst into the Vortex.

Colours danced around her and glowed and sparkled, and the time winds whipped through her hair, fanning it out behind her. She was soaring; diving; spinning in a sea of colour and light and time - she didn't know how, but she could feel it - and she felt entirely in one moment; time was everywhere, yet had no substance.

Aiva slowed to a stop, and hugged Blair again.

'Have a good rest, dear Blair. I love you.'

'I love you too, Aiva.'

She felt the TARDIS' warm embrace as everything around her gently faded into dark, and then tiredness, and then sleep.

*****

Blair yawned and stretched; that had been the best sleep she'd had in ages. She lay on her back for a while and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about her shared dream - shared with an entity beyond her understanding. She had no idea what she had meant about the warning, but she would most certainly remember to give it when the time came. Whenever that was.

After a while, she swung out of bed, and padded down the corridor to the Console Room.

'Good morning, Blair,' the Master said.

'Morning!' She smiled at him, and at Lisar, who was reading in the Gallery and didn't see her, and then wandered over to the console.

'Any idea where we're going today?' she asked.

'The TARDIS expended a large amount of artron energy last night, so we are going to an artron-rich world to.... _ refuel _ , so to say.'

Blair nodded. That made sense.

She thought about the note from the future version of her friend, and about the TARDIS' cryptic message of warning, and pushed them aside for now. At the present, she had her family - her, the Master, and a sentient ship that they both loved with all their hearts, and the three of them were going to help their new shapeshifting friend find a home.

Life was perfect, and for now, that was enough.  


	3. Episode Three

Blair looked around as they stepped out the door. There were hovercars zipping everywhere, lights flashing, and people walking, and so many minds at once. Shrinking back a little into the TARDIS, she felt the Master’s hand on her shoulder.

‘It is all right, Blair; try to put up your defenses and see if that helps.’

Blair closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, then focused on raising the mental barriers between herself and any unwanted guests. She took another deep breath, then opened her eyes. The Master gave her shoulder a squeeze, and the trio moved out the door.

‘We shall leave the TARDIS here for a time, and by the time we come back, it should be fully refueled.’

Lisar was looking around and frowning. ‘I don’t think I’ll stay _here_ ,’ she said. ‘It’s….too busy for my tastes.’ The Master nodded.

‘That is understandable. We shall simply visit a few museums or whatever you like, and then we shall leave.’

‘What kind of museums are here?’ Blair asked. She wasn’t sure what a world so alien would _have_ in a museum, although she suspected it would certainly be interesting.

‘Art galleries; historical museums….that sort of thing.’ He took the key out of the lock and turned. ‘Shall we?’

*****

They visited several art galleries; Blair loved them all, but Lisar was rather fickle in her tastes and had a few strong opinions on some of the exhibits. The Master rather appreciated that.

After leaving the last gallery, Blair declared she was thirsty.

‘I believe I saw a tea room at the last crossing; do you wish to go there?’

‘Oh, _yes!_ ’ Blair clapped her hands delightedly, and the Master smiled; it pleased him that she was happy.

They walked back down the road and found the tearoom, and the three of them had a wonderful time. The Master found it a bit peculiar that Lisar did not quite _understand_ tea, but once she tasted it, she didn’t care about understanding it anymore, she enjoyed it so much. Blair, on the other hand, ordered an entire large pot of Pochillian tea, and insisted on sharing it with everyone. The Master certainly did not object to that.

*****

‘This has to be one of the best planets we’ve been to, Master,’ Blair said, as they waited to cross the street.

‘Have you both been to a lot of planets, then?’ Lisar asked. ‘I didn’t think Time Lords _did_ a lot of travelling.’

‘I am not your typical Time Lord,’ the Master said. The traffic cleared, and they crossed the street.

‘The TARDIS is back the other way, Master!’ Blair called. He nodded.

‘I saw something…. _peculiar_ on our way to the tea room; I wish to investigate.’

‘Oh okay.’ She took his hand as they walked.

‘“Peculiar”? How so?’ Lisar asked.

‘Something that should not be, even on a world as artron-rich as this.’ They stopped and Blair followed the Master’s gaze.

They were under a large sign that said ‘The Time Shop’. The Master shook his head.

‘I certainly hope this is not what I sense it is….’ he said, and opened the door.

Blair blinked from the blinding light as soon as they stepped through. She looked around and gasped; there were all kinds of time tech equipment that she _knew_ was dangerous to just be selling on the streets. She looked up at the Master, who was glaring at the counter.

And when she looked in that direction, she saw why.

‘B….Blair….? The Master….? How….’

‘Miss Hastings,’ the Master said. ‘What an…. _un_ pleasant surprise.’

Everyone stared at each other in silence for a moment. Then Blair broke the silence.

‘ _What_ are you doing here,’ she whispered.

‘I don’t know - but I’m alive! Isn’t it wonderful, Blair?!’

‘ _How_.’ Blair could barely contain the emotions boiling up inside herself. Ellen grinned broadly.

‘I….I don’t know _how_ I did it, but I just…. _survived!_ One minute I was dying, and then the next I was waking up! Isn’t it amazing!?’

‘Yeah,’ Blair said. ‘Amazing.’

Ellen’s face fell. ‘Blair….’ she said, ‘aren’t you happy to see me….?’

‘ _Ellen_ , what are you doing in a shop that has _temporal equipment_ in it.’ Her voice came out in a bit of a squeak at the end; it didn’t sound quite as angry as it did in her head.

‘Oh! Well a bunch of weird, floaty, three-legged aliens picked me up; I’m helping them!’

Blair felt a heat surge through her, body and mind. She let go of the Master’s hand, sprang forward, and slapped Ellen, _hard_.

Then she turned and ran out the door.

*****

The Master turned quickly; through the door, he could see Blair stop running and whirl around and scream.

‘ _DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’VE DONE!? DO YOU EVEN CARE!? DO YOU KNOW HOW YOU’VE HAUNTED MY DREAMS, ELLEN HASTINGS!?_ ’

She screamed again and pelted off in the direction of the TARDIS.

‘Wha - should I go see if she’s okay?!’ Lisar exclaimed.

‘That would probably be for the best.’ The Master turned and glared at Ellen as he said this, but she did not seem to notice; she was only staring after Blair with an anguished expression on her face.

Lisar ran out the door and it swung wildly behind her.

‘Well, now, Miss Hastings,’ the Master said. ‘What precisely are you doing here?’

Ellen’s face froze and she looked at him.

‘Ex….ex….exactly what I said….’ she stammered. ‘I’m not doing anything _wrong_ ….’

‘You are selling anachronistic xenotechnology; do you actually think that is unproblematic?’

She paled.

‘Wha - this is an _alien planet_ , for crying out loud!’

The Master’s expression darkened. ‘You do not know, then, precisely how much trouble you are in. Perhaps I should kill you before your so-called “ _allies_ ” have a chance to do it themselves?’

*****

‘Blair! Blair - _wait!_ ’

Blair stopped and whirled around as Lisar pelted up to her.

‘Blair - what’s going on? Are you all right?’

‘She - she shouldn’t be alive! How could she do this to me!?’ Blair spluttered between sobs, and Lisar felt her heart drop.

‘What do you mean, Blair? I don’t understand.’

Blair sobbed and coughed a little longer, then caught her breath and sat on the curb. Lisar sat next to her.

‘She….she was my best friend once. And then she did a bunch of really horrible, awful things, and then someone killed her and I couldn’t stop it and - ‘

Lisar put a hand on Blair’s shoulder as she choked on her words and started sobbing again. She let her, for a while.

‘So now she’s not dead, and you’re angry that she didn’t tell you?’

‘I’m mad that she didn’t tell me, I’m mad that she did everything she did - _and_ I’m mad that I have to speak to her again now that she’s _not_ dead.’

‘You don’t have to, Blair.’

Blair looked up at her.

‘You don’t have to feel obliged to stay loyal to her; not after she’s done “horrible, awful things” - specifically since she doesn’t seem to want to stop.’ She smiled. ‘I can tell that’s what you’re like; you always try to be loyal to everyone, even when you shouldn’t be, and you need to know that you don’t _need_ to be. You - ‘ She paused.

‘You choose your friends, Blair, and you choose your family. It’s up to you who you want to be in that family with; you can let people go, you know.’

Blair stared at her for a moment again, then smiled, faintly and hugged her.

‘Thanks, Lisar,’ she said.

‘Let’s go back to the TARDIS.’

‘But….won’t the Master need me to help - ‘

‘Blair.’ Blair looked at her. ‘If he’s as good a friend as you say he is, then he wouldn’t want you to have to dig up old trauma. Come on. Let’s go back to the TARDIS.’

Blair stared at her for a moment, then nodded.

‘Yeah. He would want that.’

They stood, and Lisar followed Blair back in the direction of that strange ship full of magical things.

*****

‘So do I need to…. _put an end to this_ , Miss Hastings? Are you meddling with time again?’

‘Please - no - ‘

‘I am considering sparing you only because of a very dear friend right now, who would never be able to look me in the eye if I killed you, but that one bit of self-restraint is hanging by a _very. Slim. Thread._ ’

Ellen was visibly shaking. The Master was utterly furious with her, and honestly had no notion as to what to do; he could not kill her; that was obvious, but he could not simply _leave_ her here to do more damage, either.

_And there is no chance in the Universe that she will be allowed into my TARDIS._

They stared at each other in silence for a time. _The least I can do is put her under mesmeric control,_ he thought. _That would be a start._ He looked Ellen squarely in the eyes, and although she flinched, she did not look away.

‘If you wish your life to be spared, you will give up any resistance and _you will obey me_.’

‘I will obey you….’ she murmured

‘ _Good_. Now. I want you to keep looking into my eyes, and relax, and then tell me exactly what the Alari are having you do for them.’

‘The Alari….they wanted me to sell their equipment for them….they said in exchange, they could manipulate history so I could get home.’

The Master’s hand instinctively reached for his inside pocket, but he resisted the urge to shoot her down there and then, and instead frowned deeper.

‘Miss Hastings, you will no longer be working for the Alari; no - whenever you even so much as _think_ of them, you - ‘

There was a whooshing sound, and Ellen’s eyes flew wide open and she looked startled, and then, all of a sudden, she was gone.

‘ _NO!_ ’ The Master whirled around, but there was nobody around who would have done this; there must have been a teleport embedded in the floor.

With a resigned sigh, he made his way behind the counter and studied the equipment on the shelves. He thought he saw a few pieces he could use to destroy this disaster….

*****

Blair stopped and turned her head when she heard running footsteps behind her. The Master was pelting towards them, and she thought she heard a rumbling in the distance. 

‘Quickly! To the TARDIS! Now!’ he shouted, and Blair and Lisar looked at each other and took off.

They all stopped at the door, and Blair turned to look back, but the Master spun her back around just as a loud explosion shook the ground.

‘That could have blinded you,’ the Master said.

‘What _happened?_ ’ Lisar breathed.

‘I set an explosive to detonate, localised to that one building; there was dangerous technology in there, and it would have hurt the people of this planet more than I care to imagine. Come. Back in the TARDIS, before any questions are asked.’ He looked at Blair. ‘Are you all right, my dear?’

She shook her head. ‘No.’ The Master nodded.

‘That is understandable. Come back into the TARDIS. Everything will be a little bit better in there.’

She nodded, and followed him in. Lisar hesitated only a moment to look back at the city, then came in after them.


	4. Episode Four

The time rotors settled, and the TARDIS landed.

‘Do you know where we are at _all?_ ’ Blair asked. She scampered over to the scanner and looked.

The building outside was imposingly tall; made of all colours of stone that was obviously from many different planets.

‘I am not _entirely_ certain; all I know is that it is a place where there are many works of art, and _that_ seemed the kind of place Lisar would enjoy.’ He smiled at Lisar, and Blair grinned. It had been evident to her in the art galleries that Lisar certainly had opinions on art.

Lisar’s eyes lit up.

‘Oh, can we explore? _Please?_ ’

The Master chuckled. ‘Of course, Lisar; that is why we have come, after all. To find a place that is satisfactory for you.’

Blair came over and hugged her. ‘Maybe you’ll find a home here!’

‘I hope so….travelling with you is _amazing_ , but….I don’t really like to always be on the move.’

Blair let her go and smiled at her. ‘I get that.’ She looked at the Master. ‘Shall we?’

*****

The building loomed bigger in real life than it did on the scanner. Blair stared at it for a while before being snapped out of her reverie by a group of aliens walking past. They turned around, and stopped to stare at them.

‘Who are you?’ a short boy said. ‘How did you get here?’

‘Er….I’m Blair,’ she said, ‘and we just kinda….I don’t know how to explain it, other than we….er…. _ported in_.’

The Master chuckled and put an arm around her.

‘We arrived here in a travel capsule, in search of a habitable planet. Tell me - what is this place?’

‘It is a school; for art!’ a little purple alien said. Blair thought she recognised him as one of those kinds of aliens who’d been on the space station. She smiled at him.

‘An _art school!_ ’ Lisar jumped forward. ‘Is there any room for another student? Can I please, _please_ attend?’

The girl in the back laughed. ‘Of course you can! We’re taking anyone who’s interested right now, and you can _definitely_ stay!’

Lisar’s expression was one of complete joy. She spun around and looked at Blair and the Master.

‘ _Thank you_ ,’ she whispered.

The Master smiled; a little concernedly. ‘Miss Lisar, I do not think you should be too hasty,’ he said quietly. ‘I believe we should investigate this institution before we leave you here; I would not feel easy in my mind until I knew that this was a safe place, and not some manner of deception.’

Lisar nodded. ‘That’s a good idea. Let’s investigate together.’

She turned around. ‘Can you show us around? I want to see what this place is like, and so do my friends.’

‘Yes!’ the little purple alien said, and started running off towards the building. The boy laughed.

‘He’s fast; if you want that tour, you’d better catch up!’

Blair laughed, and the three of them ran after him.

*****

The tour had been completely positive, and Lisar had declared she was going to stay. Blair hugged her and wished her the best.

‘I’m so happy for you,’ Blair whispered.

‘Thanks, Blair. Hey; come visit me sometime, ‘kay?’

‘ _Definitely_.’

They looked at each other, and both smiled.

‘Have fun,’ Blair said.

‘Oh, I _will_.’

The Master cleared his throat quietly, and Lisar looked up at him.

‘It was a pleasure to have travelled with you, Miss Lisar,’ he said. She smiled.

‘Thanks; I think it was amazing, too.’ She straightened, and took a deep breath.

‘Well. I’ll see you guys later.’

The Master gave a short bow, and Blair nodded enthusiastically.

And then the two of them went back to the TARDIS.

*****

The view on the scanner faded out as they slipped into the Vortex, Lisar waving to them until everything disappeared in a swirling display of light and time. Blair sighed.

‘I hope she enjoys it there.’

‘I am certain she will.’ The Master smiled at her. ‘And we will most certainly visit her again.’

‘ _Fab_.’

Blair stared at the swirling Vortex on the scanner; all light and colour and mystery. Even though it had been in her imagination, she would never forget the feeling she had of flying through it.

‘Where are we going now? Have any ideas?’ she asked. ‘Do you have any leads on the Alari at all?’

‘I do, in fact. It is a long-abandoned library; once held by the Time Lords, and it was a secret library, so none of the works there would be found anywhere else. I have a lead that might perhaps help us to find more information on how the Alari’s temporal absorption systems work.’

Blair nodded. ‘Okay.’

The time rotors started to settle, and after a slight shudder, they stopped.

‘You did not like the decaying temporal barriers; I am sorry.’ The Master leaned over the console and looked up at the rotors with concern for a moment, then nodded and straightened.

‘Let us go; I do not wish to be in this place longer than is necessary.’

‘Is….is something _wrong_ with it….?’ Blair’s brow furrowed.

The Master paused. ‘There is nothing wrong with the _location_ ; only the TARDIS finds it uncomfortable, and I should like to get her out of it as soon as I can.’

‘Okay.’

The Master went to the door, and she followed him out.

*****

The Master switched on the torch function of the TCE; it was dark, and Blair could barely see her hand in front of her face before the light was switched on. Now she could see about a dozen dusty bookcases, as well as a display case about three metres from them. Inside it, was a datapad.

‘That is exactly what we are here to look at,’ the Master said, and walked over to it. He fiddled with the lock for a bit, and then the door swung open.

‘Be careful,’ Blair said.

‘I shall.’ He touched the datapad, and then gasped and stumbled back as there was a poof of what looked like violet smoke in the dark.

‘Blair! Get back!’ he gasped. He staggered once, and tried to get to where Blair was, but collapsed, the TCE clattering to the floor.

Blair let out a muffled shriek and dashed over to him in the dim light. She shook him.

‘Master - what’s going on?!’

‘I activated my respiratory bypass too late….I’m going to pass out in a - ‘

He went still, and Blair went dizzy for a second, before closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. She opened her eyes and looked at him, then back at the case. The smoke - or, she supposed, some sort of gas - had dissipated, and there was a purple glow under the datapad.

 _They must really have wanted no one to get near it_ , she thought, then turned back to the Master and tried to shake him awake. It was no use. She even tried lifting him, but he was most _definitely_ too heavy for her to lift. Then something bright white in a corner caught her eye.

She stood up, picking up the TCE, and cautiously walking over to it, she shone the light on it.

It took a moment to register what it was. She squinted, then stumbled back in alarm and leaned against a wall.

_No, no I can’t throw -_

She threw up.

Coughing, she straightened, and looked in utter horror at the pile of bones in the corner. She backed towards the Master; she couldn’t let anything happen to him; not on her watch.

 _I have to figure out how to get us out of here; we don’t know what’s in here with us._ She looked around for something to roll the Master onto, to maybe wheel him to the TARDIS, or _somehow_ bear his weight so she could move him on her own.

And she froze.

There was a scratching sound, about three feet away from the pile of bones, and in the dark, she could see five glowing orange eyes turn towards her, and there was a growl in their general direction.

‘ _Master -_ please _wake up now - I need you -_ ‘ She shook him harder, but he didn’t even stir. In a burst of adrenaline, she grabbed hold of his coat front and dragged him in the direction of the TARDIS, but she didn’t make it a foot before collapsing to her knees, out of breath. Her hand found a book next to where she was kneeling, and she picked it up.

Whatever it was hissed and growled again, and scurried towards them, and she could see fangs bared in the dim light.

‘ _KEEP AWAY FROM HIM!_ ’ she screamed, and hurled the book at it with as much force as she could. She heard it thud against the creature, and it squealed and scurried away again, but not far; she could see its eyes glowing, watching them.

She reached for the TCE; she needed to see what it looked like; needed to know how big it was; maybe the light would scare it away. Her fingers found it, just as she heard the thing growl, and then squeal again, and rush towards them.

‘ _I SAID GET BACK!_ ’ she screamed again, but it ploughed forward.

Almost without thinking, she pulled back the lever, aimed it at the thing, and pushed the firing button.

The creature shrieked, and she realised what she’d done as its shriek rose in pitch and then abruptly stopped. She heard it fall, and she let go of the TCE; letting it clatter to the floor.

Blair could barely breathe; she felt like she was going to faint, and everything was ringing. Then she suddenly could breathe, and found herself throwing up again. She fell back on the floor, and caught her breath.

Blair pushed herself up and put her arms protectively around the Master.

 _Please don’t let there be any more…._ she screamed inside her mind.

She sat there, in the dark, listening for the sounds of the unseen creatures’ claws, only to be greeted by a terrifying silence.

Then there was the sound of one scratch, and she caught her breath, and then there was another, and another.

‘ _Mnhh_ ….’ She almost buried her face in the Master’s coat and sobbed, but then he started, and sat up, and they looked at each other.

In a flash, the Master snatched up the TCE, turned, and fired, five times, into the darkness. Blair covered her ears until she felt the Master gently shaking her.

‘Blair, we have to go _now_ ; there are more coming.’ She didn’t feel like moving; she felt frozen.

The Master scooped her up and ran for their lives.

*****

Blair sat on the settee in the alcove, blanket wrapped tightly around her.

‘When you are ready, Blair, it might help if you told me what happened.’

Blair nodded and sat huddled, silent.

She sat for a long time, trying to stop thinking about the dark that surrounded her and the sound of the creature dying, and the scratching of the claws on the floor. She wanted to cry, but couldn’t muster the energy to. She looked up at the Master.

‘I….I can’t….’ she closed her eyes. ‘Contact?’

‘ _Contact._ ’

*****

_There was a slight blurring at the edges of her mind, and then everything snapped into focus. She replayed the scene; the dark; the fear; the sounds; the weight of the weapon in her hand…._

*****

Blair screamed, and opened her eyes. The Master reached out and held her close until she had sobbed out her pain.

‘I killed it!’ she screamed. ‘It was alive, and then I killed it!’

‘ _Shhh,_ Blair, _shhhh_ ….’

Blair’s sobs slowly quieted, until she was only crying.

‘I….I d….don’t know how you can stand to do it so much and not die inside yourself,’ she choked. The Master didn’t say anything, only held her and let her cry. She felt comforted by it, but still couldn’t shake the panic and horror at what she’d done.

‘Blair,’ the Master said finally, his voice very quiet, ‘tell me - on Earth, you have animals such as venomous snakes, am I correct?’

Blair coughed. ‘Y….yes.’

‘If a snake was about to attack one of us, would you fight it off, possibly killing it?’

‘I….’ Blair paused. ‘....yeah, I would.’

‘Well, my dear, this is not dissimilar.’

‘But….it was in pain….I know what the TCE feels like….’ She choked back another sob.

The Master was silent for a time, then spoke again.

‘It was in pain, my dear, but it would not have been in pain for _long_. Does that make you feel any better?’

Blair was silent for a moment.

‘A little,’ she finally said.

‘You did what was necessary to save both our lives. I wish you had not needed to go through that, or feel the torment you are feeling now. I am very sorry.’

Blair hugged him a little tighter.

‘Thank you.’

‘If you need to sort through any of this at all, Blair, come to me. I will help you.’

Blair nodded. ‘I will. Thank you.’

They stayed there for a while, then the Master got up and went to the console. Blair slowly looked up and watched in disbelief as he dematerialised the ship.

‘Don’t you….need to go get the datapad….? How’re we gonna find out what to do next? We need the information, right….?’ The Master looked up at her seriously.

‘I must make certain you are safe, Blair; no information is worth the price of you.’

Her heart felt mostly numb, but now she felt a warm spark start up inside.


	5. Epilogue

Lisar straightened the collar of her uniform; she wanted it to be  _ perfect _ for tonight. She smiled at herself in the mirror, then looked around. 

There was a knock at her door, and she walked over and opened it. A four-eyed purple face greeted her.

‘Hey, Sam! What’s up?’

‘The event’s early!’ he said. ‘The founders have pushed the schedule forward and it starts in three microspans!’

Lisar started and followed Sam out the door. ‘Is it in the same hall?’

‘Yeah! Come on - we’re gonna be late!’

They raced down the corridor to the assembly hall, arriving just in time for the woman in the leather jacket and the man in the dark blue trench coat to appear on stage, to thunderous applause.

‘Good evening!’ the man said. ‘I am Ir - ‘

He was cut off by the roar of the crowd. Lisar smiled and covered her ears. The man chuckled and bowed.

‘Thank you. Now I want to make an announcement before tonight’s festivities; in honour of the Renaissance Academy’s grand opening, I want to offer everyone here a free extra scholarship for one friend, redeemable anytime.’

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted again.

‘Thank you! Now! Let the party begin!’

The woman snatched the microphone from him.

‘Thank you so much for all your help in setting up the Academy! If you have any questions, feel free to ask us, or the crew over there.’ She gestured, and Lisar saw a blond-haired, bespectacled woman, a tall, dark-haired woman with bearing like a queen, and a couple men with unusual ears. She smiled and made her way over to them; she wanted to meet these people; they looked like the kind of people who would be lifelong friends.

She was beginning to like this new home.


End file.
